Me too. As a guest, I would back out if the host asked me to comply. I am not comfortable that my kitchen would be up to the standards needed by someone with a severe enough allergy to require a nit-free environment.

Well, one would hope that your kitchen is nit free.

But I do agree; I make pecan balls and almond crescents as some of my Christmas cookies so I would be uncomfortable bringing nut-free because I wouldn't be able to to guarantee that my nut-free cookies were in fact nut-free.

D'oh!

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Lynn

"Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat." Robert A. Heinlein

If I had a nut allergy (or egg allergy, or gluten intolerance, or other serious issue with common baking ingredients), I don't think I'd do cookie swaps in the first place - the risk of contamination is too great, even with well meaning people who are doing their best.

From a baking perspective - I could make cookies without nuts, but I couldn't guarantee 100% that it was not contaminated with nuts, because most of my Christmas baking includes them, and they are used extensively in my kitchen.

Apparently it's all a moot point anyway. Mr K forgot about my function and committed himself to a work event that night. In our house, work takes precedence over social functions every time, so he gets the car and I can't go.

From a baking perspective - I could make cookies without nuts, but I couldn't guarantee 100% that it was not contaminated with nuts, because most of my Christmas baking includes them, and they are used extensively in my kitchen.

And this is why I think it is too much to ask. Asking the host about this isn't just asking the host for a change. You are asking everyone involved to change their cooking to allow for an allergy they aren't used to dealing with. I wouldn't have a clue as to how good is 'good enough' on this. And given the horror stories I have seen and heard with bad allergies, I would not be willing to participate if this was asked of me.

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Lynn

"Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat." Robert A. Heinlein

In the future I'd recommend you just skip these type of events. People without allergies are not accustomed to preparing or cooking allergy free products. Even the most well meaning people don't always catch the warning labels of "processed in a facility that also processes X" or know that Y ingredient is a derivative of Z. It's a nightmare when you are highly allergic.

I know a celiac friend who ticks people off because she always takes my word that the food I give her is GF, but no one else. She knows that I have way more severe food allergies than she does, so I am very diligent in reading food labels. If I do happen to come across an unfamiliar ingredient, I look it up.

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Meditate. Live purely. Quiet the mind. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. ---Gautama Buddah

I think it would be very rude for the OP to request anything. It's not her party. She was invited. And she accepted the invitation knowing that two of the guests frequently make cookies with nuts.

I also think it puts Sue in a very uncomfortable position.

I totally agree with this. It is completely inappropriate to ask. I think it is ok to change your rsvp to no and say why, if asked.

Me too. As a guest, I would back out if the host asked me to comply. I am not comfortable that my kitchen would be up to the standards needed by someone with a severe enough allergy to require a nit-free environment.

That's right. It puts everyone else on the spot too. I would be way too nervous I use something that is not allowed. It isn't fair to put that on everyone unless from the very beginning it is specified as nut free.

I think it would be very rude for the OP to request anything. It's not her party. She was invited. And she accepted the invitation knowing that two of the guests frequently make cookies with nuts.

I also think it puts Sue in a very uncomfortable position.

I totally agree with this. It is completely inappropriate to ask. I think it is ok to change your rsvp to no and say why, if asked.

Me too. As a guest, I would back out if the host asked me to comply. I am not comfortable that my kitchen would be up to the standards needed by someone with a severe enough allergy to require a nit-free environment.

That's right. It puts everyone else on the spot too. I would be way too nervous I use something that is not allowed. It isn't fair to put that on everyone unless from the very beginning it is specified as nut free.

Even if it had been specified at nut-free from the beginning, it is completely unrealistic to expect someone who does not have a nut allergy or some other severe food allergy, to know how to pull off allergen free cooking/baking. With the exception of one person, I do not know anyone that knows how to sanitize a kitchen down to severe, life threatening allergen free standards or that knows how to read and triple checks food labels. It's just not going to be in my expectations that anyone else is going to go through all of that or something is not going to slip by them that they do not know about.

People, in general, may wipe down counter tops and other surfaces, but I don't know if they'd even think about sanitizing previously cleaned kitchen utensils/cutting boards that may still have minute traces of offending allergen. Not to mention possible previously cross contaminated ingredients. What if their recipe calls for a tablespoon of jam or jelly, they grab the already open jar that another family member dipped a knife with trace smears of peanut butter in when they made a sandwich? They probably just landed some peanut allergy sufferer in the hospital. Not that they meant for that to happen, but things like that happen all the time to people with severe allergies, even with the most diligent, welling meaning people.

One that happened to me was a severe anaphylactic reaction after eating some cut fruit. The person cutting it had cut fruit I am severely allergic too first and then just wiped everything down with a damp cloth, considered that clean, then cut the rest (knowing that I was allergic to the first fruit). Let me tell you, not being able to breath, breaking out in anger/burning/itching/welt-raised hives, stabbing myself with an epi-pen that really (Oh, I'm a pottymouth extraordinaire!) hurts, then going to the ER to be monitored, is not how I want to spend my time because someone thought their kitchen was clean enough.

Here's a packet for restaurants on how to handle food allergies. Starting on page 52 is a common list of allergens' other names listed on labels (not sure it's 100% complete, but it gives you an idea of how complicated it can be). http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=143

« Last Edit: November 30, 2013, 01:26:01 PM by Dazi »

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Meditate. Live purely. Quiet the mind. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. ---Gautama Buddah

Very good points, Dazi! I would know not to just wipe a utensil with a cloth, but I wouldn't know to actually disinfect items to prevent the cross contamination. Is the dishwasher enough?

I think the dishwasher should be fine as long as no film residue is left behind. The protein remnants just need to be removed thoroughly...that's the usual culprit---residue. Most people would never think about minute traces getting stuck in a wooden cutting board, under rims of mixing bowls, stuck in utensils like whisks, or in porous items like a cast iron skillet. It's just not something that everyday people have to think about.

Soap, water, and good old elbow grease works fine, though diluted bleaching is a good idea (409 and other commercial cleaners work well on counter surfaces). Hand sanitizers do not work for removing food allergens from hands...washing hands thoroughly with soap and running water is definitely the way to go.

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Meditate. Live purely. Quiet the mind. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. ---Gautama Buddah

My sister had a reaction from food that was in a plastic bowl. The plastic bowl had been washed. However, there was enough residue to land her in the hospital. Situations like these are why some people may not trust you to make their food. Don't be insulted, they just probably had a trip to the hospital due to food that was supposed to be safe.

I made cookies for a nut-allergic co-worker's birthday. I was so paranoid that I bought new sugar and flour just in case I had contaminated my already opened bags. He ate several with no reaction so it was worth it.